Dog Day Afternoon

Dog Day Afternoon

Article excerpt

Once upon a time in a land where economies got depressed, and people got depressed because they were 'economized', a pharmaceutical company made a fortune selling antidepressants, which made the economists happy. But not their pets... until now.

Yes, Eli Lilly and Co have just won US Food and Drug Administration approval to sell its over-prescribed, selective serotonin-reuptake-inhibiting, drinking-water-contaminating, best-selling drug Prozac(TM) to depressed dogs. Repackaged into a chewable, beef-flavoured pill to be called Reconcile(TM), it is designed to treat 'separation anxiety'. This is the medicalized term for leaving your pet alone for extended periods of time. Dogs, beingvery social pack animals, mysteriously can't cope well with solitude. But now negligent dog owners the world over can rejoice. Just one happy pill with breakfast and Spot will be as happy as a lamb in Spring. …